Israel’s plan to annex swathes of the West Bank has been delayed for now. The announced date of 1 July came and went without Israel officially carrying out this planned act of aggression. An Israeli cabinet minister said the delay arose because Israel was still finalising the details with the Trump administration. The announcement of the plan was met with immediate international condemnation, including opposition from the United Nations, the EU, several Arab countries, NGOs and activist groups around the world. Fearing a backlash, even some staunch supporters of Israel declared their disagreement; Boris Johnson responded to the plan by publishing an opinion piece in a leading Israeli daily newspaper, saying annexation would be a violation of international law and that the UK would not recognise it. The foreign ministries of both France and Germany also warned Israel that such a move could have ‘consequences’.
Clearly such condemnation by Israel’s allies is not rooted in concern for the rights of Palestinians, nor even the annexation of occupied land, which Israel has already been doing in all but name since it first occupied the West Bank in 1967 as these allies turned a blind eye. Rather, the imperialist states of Britain and the EU are concerned that the annexation could threaten their interests and result in damaging political fallout at home. Especially worrying for them is the prospect of the Palestinian liberation movement being linked to other struggles being waged right now; Black Lives Matter protesters in Britain illustrated the possibility of that when they published a statement condemning the annexation plan and declaring their support for Palestine.They refused to take it down when faced with hypocritical Zionist hostility. The plan also threatens to destabilise relations with key trading partners like Iran and the Arab states. Britain and the EU are also motivated by inter-imperialist rivalry, trying to stand up to the Trump administration’s brazen attempts to reshape the balance of power in the Middle East in favour of US imperialist interests.
That Palestinian liberation is of no importance to these imperialists is clear from both their language and actions. Johnson described himself in his article as a ‘passionate defender’ and ‘life-long friend, admirer and supporter of Israel’. Similarly, in a phone call with Netanyahu, French President Emmanuel Macron ‘expressed his attachment to the friendship and confidence that links France and Israel.’ Despite their opposition to the annexation plan, their close relationship with Israel has continued unabated. On 15 June, the European Investment Bank agreed a $170 million loan to Israel to finance a desalination plant, and two days later the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to ratify an agreement that would give Israeli airlines greater access to European cities. Meanwhile, Israel announced its new ambassador to the UK would be Tzipi Hotovely, an extremist pro-settler activist who once said there was ‘no Palestinian people’ and has promoted a campaign to destroy Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque, an Islamic holy site and a significant symbol of the Palestinian struggle. The appointment of such a hardliner to the Israeli embassy in London is aimed at ensuring Britain’s continued support for Israel no matter how brazen its actions.
Neither the leaders of Britain nor the EU have anything to say about the daily injustices Israel inflicted on the Palestinian people well before its annexation plan was announced. On 25 May, Israeli occupation forces in Jerusalem gunned down an unarmed autistic Palestinian man, firing approximately ten shots at him as he reportedly hid behind a dumpster. On 5 July, Israeli settlers shot a 67-year-old Palestinian farmer on his way to his family’s farm. By 10 July, 25 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli fire. And much like the frequent police killings of unarmed black men in the US that have become the focus of international anger, we can expect no justice from an Israeli justice system which regularly absolves Israelis guilty of murdering Palestinians. Israel has also accelerated its routine demolitions of Palestinian homes, demolishing 43 homes in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem in June alone, leaving 151 Palestinians homeless.
Palestinians and their supporters have been holding regular demonstrations to oppose the annexation plan; a Day of Rage was called on 1 July which saw thousands of Palestinians fill the streets with their demand for national liberation. They have been joined in this by protests and solidarity actions across the world.
Wesam Khaled
FIGHT RACISM! FIGHT IMPERIALISM! 277 August/September 2020
